Verse of the Day 2/28

Daniel 10:19   And he said, "O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage." And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."   English Standard Version (ESV)

I referenced this verse the other day in a post and the verse and ones like it in Daniel 9 and 10 have been on my mind and have been the subject of several conversations over the past couple of days.  Stop and think about it for a minute, think about it longer than that.  You are greatly loved by God, the Creator of the universe who hung the billions upon billions of stars in the sky, who created all there is "greatly loves" you.

Another reason to be reminded of this great love is to think what God has done for you, as insignificant as you may feel sometimes in this big world that is just a speck of dust in comparison to the universe, God loves you.  It was the message of Billy Graham and other evangelists through the past century.

I was working in the garage last night and while listening to a Steven Curtis Chapman CD when the song "No Greater Love" came on.

Man of courage with your message of peace
What is that look in your eyes?
Why have you come to this faraway place?
What is this story you would lay down your life to tell?
What kind of love can this be?

There is no greater love than this
There is no greater gift that can ever be given
To be willing to die, so another might live
There is no greater love than this

John 15:13   Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.  English Standard Version (ESV)

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Daniel 10:19 The Message (MSG)

^18-19 "Then this humanlike figure touched me again and gave me strength. He said, 'Don't be afraid, friend. Peace. Everything is going to be all right. Take courage. Be strong.'

"Even as he spoke, courage surged up within me. I said, 'Go ahead, let my master speak. You've given me courage.'

Verse of the Day 2/27

Verse of the Day 2/27

Proverbs 10:18  The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

    and whoever utters slander is a fool.   English Standard Version (ESV)

As I read today's verse in my daily reading in Proverbs I couldn't help but think of the news media.  Hatred for the opposing party causes reporting to be slanted, biased to the point of lies being reported as truth.  I'm talking about from "both sides of the aisle".  The second part of the verse tells us just what kind of person offers slander with disregard for the consequences, they are fools.

The word slander caught my attention.  Our men's Bible study was in Titus chapter 3 this week and we only looked at verses 1 and 2 which tells us of 6 things that we are to do, or not do in our Christian walk, slander is one of them.

Titus 3:1-2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Christian Living among Outsiders

3 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, ² to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.

We are reminded to 1) be submissive to authorities without grumbling over everything that we may disagree with, 2)  obey the rules, the laws, yes this includes speeding; 3) slander no one - no back stabbing, putting people down for personal gain; 4) avoid quarreling and fighting;  5) be kind to all, even the opposing party; 6) show gentleness to all people.

If we put these things  into practice what kind of influence would it have on the people around us and in our world?  Instead of getting caught up in the slander, the quarreling and the grumbling; may we be ready, prepared for every good work, and be kind, gentle and helping to those around us.

What a wonderful world it could be.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Proverbs 10:14-19 The Message (MSG)

¹⁴ The wise accumulate knowledge—a true treasure;
    know-it-alls talk too much—a sheer waste.

The Road to Life Is a Disciplined Life

¹⁵ The wealth of the rich is their bastion;
    the poverty of the indigent is their ruin.

¹⁶ The wage of a good person is exuberant life;
    an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.

¹⁷ The road to life is a disciplined life;
    ignore correction and you're lost for good.

¹⁸ Liars secretly hoard hatred;
    fools openly spread slander.

¹⁹ The more talk, the less truth;
    the wise measure their words.

Verse of the Day 2/25

Verse of the Day 2/25

Ephesians 2:4-5  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—    English Standard Version (ESV)

Ephesians chapter 2 begins with the word "and you were dead", we were dead in our sins.  Today's verse begins with "but God", He had other plans for us, He decided to show us mercy.   Think about that we were dead but God has made us alive in His "great love" and not only that but He has some things for us to do, read verses 8-10 below.

John Piper writes, "This is the only place where Paul uses this wonderful phrase "great love." And it is better than an angel's voice. If you have seen Jesus as true and received him as your supreme treasure, that is, if you are "alive," you are greatly loved. Greatly loved by the Creator of the universe. Just think of it! Greatly loved!"    Three times this happened to Daniel.    "At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved." (Daniel 9:23)    "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you." (Daniel 10:11)    And he said, "O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage." (Daniel 10:19)

Daniel 9:23 struck me as I read it.  With my wife Jean recently going through cancer surgery and having prayed and asked for prayer for specific things, our prayers were answered in a positive way. We didn't know it at the time, but God was already aware of what He was going to do, to show His mercy and "great love" to us.  We feel, no we ARE, greatly loved and we would be no matter what happens because we believe in Christ, we know He holds the future and that makes life worth living.

Within a few verses in Daniel He was told three times by an angel that he was "greatly loved".  No matter what you're facing today, my prayer for you is that you would here the words of Daniel 10:19.

And he said, "O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage." (Daniel 10:19)

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal and forgive
He lived and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove my savior lives

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living, just because He lives

And then one day, I'll cross the river
I'll fight life's final war with pain
And then, as death gives way to victory
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He reigns

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Ephesians 2:1-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

Made Alive with Christ

2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. ² You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.^[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. ³ All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else.

⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Verse of the Day 2/21

Verse of the Day 2/21

Hebrews 6:18 ^?? so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.?????? Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Over the years I have posted Hebrews 6:19 which tells us of God's promises being anchors for our souls.?? Today's verse precedes that verse pointing to the fact that our hope is secured by God's unchangeable nature.??

Sometimes when we sense danger or trouble "we run for our lives" from it, but where or to whom shall we run??? I like the way that The Message puts it (below) "We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go." (v.18).?? Not only do we run to Him but we receive "strong encouragement" to seize, to grab hold of the hope that is in front of us.

John Piper writes, "He desires to show- prove... demonstrate.. point out.... represent... display... reveal...drive home - the hopefulness of our future.?? He really wants us to feel this.?? He goes the second (and third and fourth) mile to help us feel encouraged.?? This is what He wants.?? This is what He really wants.?? "When God desired to show more convincingly...."???? He is not coerced.?? He "desires".

God is trying to "drive home" that we are to grab hold of the hope that is before us.?? I'll close with a quote from G.K. Chesterton that I have in my Bible with this verse.

"Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances which we know to be desperate. It is true that there is a state of hope which belongs to bright prospects and the morning; but that is not the virtue of hope. The virtue of hope exists only in earthquake and eclipse... For practical purposes it is at the hopeless moment that we require the hopeful man, and the virtue either does not exist at all, or begins to exist at that moment. Exactly at the instant when hope ceases to be reasonable it begins to be useful."

Think about that "exactly at the instant when hope ceases to be reasonable it begins to be useful."

Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail, ????Standing on the promises of God.
??	Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior; Standing, standing, ????I???m standing on the promises of God.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Hebrews 6:17-20??The Message (MSG)

God Gave His Word

^13-18??When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, ???I promise that I???ll bless you with everything I have???bless and bless and bless!??? Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they???ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee???God??can???tbreak his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.

^18-20??We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It???s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.

Verse of the Day 2/20

Verse of the Day 2/20

2 Corinthians 8:6-7 Accordingly,we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace.?  But as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you see that you excel in this act of grace also.  English Standard Version (ESV)

In this section, Paul is writing to the Corinthian church about the grace of giving. He begins the passage by writing about how surprisingly generous the grace of God had been to other poor churches who gave and supported others while they themselves were "desperately poor" (The Message).  He is commending the church for their trust in God, being articulate about their faith, passionate towards God and others and loving.  But the key to this passage is to remind them to be generous in giving to complete the acts of grace, that they in fact should excel in this.
Isn't that the way it still seems to go.   Oftentimes, giving financially is one of the last things that people want to hear about or be asked or reminded to do.?? But it is, or should be at the core of our faith, of who we are in Christ.
Our men's Bible study has been going through the book of Titus where Paul is encouraging a young pastor about becoming a leader and assembling leaders and for the church in a pagan community.  God set the example, it starts with readiness to give and forgive.

^11-14  God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation is available for everyone! We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.  Titus 2:11-14??The Message (MSG)

May we see to it that we "excel" in this act of grace as well as part of taking on a "God-filled, God-honoring life". Read the passage below about how their giving "flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives." May it be so in us.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

2 Corinthians 8:1-7??The Message (MSG)

The Offering

8??^1-4??Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could???far more than they could afford!???pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.

^5-7??This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That???s what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things???you trust God, you???re articulate, you???re insightful, you???re passionate, you love us???now, do your best in this, too.

Verse of the Day 2/17

Verse of the Day 2/17

Hebrews 11:3   By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.    English Standard Version (ESV)

In my read through New Testament plan, today's reading was from Matthew 28 where in verses 8-11 the Jesus appears to the women outside the tomb and tells them to "go and tell my brothers".  I'm reading the "Pursuit of God" study Bible with quotes and notes from A.W. Tozer.  In reference to this verse he noted that "Faith is confidence in the character of a moral being which takes the word as being completely trustworthy and rests in it without question.  Imagination is the power to visualize, to create in the mind a picture of things unseen."

These thoughts brought my mind to this passage in Hebrews 11 where in verse 1 that faith is the assurance, the confirmation  of things hoped for and the evidence, the conviction of things not seen.  Faith is real, it is substance and gives us hope, it gives us hope with and imagination of what will be while at the same time giving us confidence to live today looking forward to that future reality.

When I read Tozer's quote I was also reminded of the Mercy Me song "I Can Only Imagine".  The words to that song brought me back to the women at the tomb and I wondered "I can only imagine" what it would have been like for them, what was going through their minds at that moment?  What had Jesus words done for their heartbreak after his crucifixion?  What would it do for their confidence to go and tell the disciples?  I'm sure it didn't stop their.  As Tozer noted, "they took his word without question" and went and told others, they probably told everyone that they knew.

What will you feel when "that day comes and you find yourself standing in the presence of the Son?

I can only imagine when that day comes
When I find myself standing in the Son
I can only imagine when all I would do is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

(Mercy Me - Bart Millard)

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Hebrews 11:1-3 The Message (MSG)

Faith in What We Don't See

11 ^1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

³ By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see.

Verse of the Day 2/16

Verse of the Day 2/16/18

 

2 Corinthians 13:14    The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

There are those who would like to argue about the validity of the doctrine of the Trinity.  However, as you read  through the Bible, you will find many references to God the Father, Jesus the Son, and  the Holy Spirit.  Today's verse, at the benediction at the very end of Paul's letter to the Corinthians he references all three persons of the Trinity within the span of a sentence.  Not only that, He tells us something about each of the "three persons".

 

Yesterday we considered in John 3:16 how God so loved the world, it is the greatest example of God the Father's love referenced in today's verse.  We've also considered recently grace; grace as pardon with power.  Jesus brought that grace into the world when He came, lived among us and brought salvation to us.  The Holy Spirit dwells within us, comes along side us as our Helper and enables us to have fellowship with God and other Christians.

 

A.W. Tozer writes, "The Christian doctrine of the Trinity boldly declares the equality of the Three Persons and the right of the Holy Spirit to be worshipped and glorified.  Anything less than this is something less than Trinitarianism".  (The Pursuit of Man , 60-61.)

 

Spend some time today praising God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity.

 

Holy, holy, holy
Lord, God Almighty
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee

Holy, holy, holy
Merciful and mighty
God in three persons blessed Trinity

 

Holy, holy, holy
Though the darkness hide Thee
Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see

Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love, and purity

 

Holy, holy, holy
Lord, God Almighty
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea
Holy, holy, holy
Merciful and mighty
God in three persons blessed Trinity

 

 

Blessings,

Mike

 

2 Corinthians 13:11-14 English Standard Version (ESV)

Final Greetings

¹¹ Finally, brothers,^[a] rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another,^[b] agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. ¹³ All the saints greet you.

¹⁴ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

 

 

 

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